Green Monster Smoothie

Breakfasts during the week in our house are kept simple. Typically I have eggs and avocados twice a week and smoothies the other three days. The weekends are when we get a bit more creative and I can play in the kitchen (pancakes, waffles, frittatas, etc). But we keep it quick and easy Monday through Friday. Smoothies are a great way for me to get lots of really good foods into a meal-on-the-go. The Green Monster is usually my go-to breakfast at least once or twice a week On Fridays, I always make my Nutty Chocolate Smoothie (recipe coming soon) since I’m kinda a chocolate freak so it’s a nice treat for me after a long week of work.

Making a smoothie couldn’t be any easier – basically all of your ingredients get thrown (nicely) into a blender, whizzed away and in under a minute or two you have a nutrient packed meal to go in a cup. We purchased a Blendtec blender a few years ago after we had debated whether it was really worth paying that much for a small kitchen appliance and I can definitely say that for our family, the cost was worth it. I also had debated between a Blendtec and a Vitamix and it just so happened that when we finally decided we were going to purchase one of these powerhouse blenders, Costco was having a sale on the Blendtec the day we were there so that’s what we went with. Honestly, this blender is probably the most used appliance in our kitchen. At least once a day something is whirling around in it. Before we got this blender, if I was to make a green smoothie, it wouldn’t exactly turn out very smooth. Our regular blender was never able to break up the greens and you’d end up with a pretty chunky smoothie that wasn’t all that appetizing. Now with our Blendtec we don’t have to worry about chunky smoothies, because this bad boy pulverizes anything and you’re left with a perfectly blended smoothie. This isn’t to say that in order to make a green smoothie you have to have a Blendtec or Vitamix, but you’re going to need to blend your smoothie a bit longer to get the desired texture.

Getting enough fruits in my diet isn’t really a problem, but getting in good veggies, especially green leafy ones can be tough some days. That’s part of the reason I started drinking green smoothies. This smoothie gives me about 2.5 cups of good leafy green goodness. Spinach is packed with vitamins A and C, as well as folate. And if you’re new to green smoothies, spinach is the way to go as it doesn’t really impart any flavor when mixed with some fruit – so while it looks green and is made with greens, it doesn’t really “taste green”. I’ve certainly gotten a lot of questions about the big cup of “green stuff” on my desk, I guess green liquids just aren’t all that appealing to our eyes. But this smoothie is certainly appealing to the taste buds.

Add all ingredients in to the blender in the order they are listed above. (It's important to add the liquid to the blender before the fruits and veggies, otherwise it will take much longer to blend everything together)

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

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So why are each of these ingredients so good for you? I already mentioned some of the benefits of the spinach above, but it’s also loaded with antioxidants, helps to prevent cancer and heart disease, alkalizes the body, lowers blood pressure, aids in digestion, maintains lower blood sugar and improves mental focus. This is pretty much one of THE superfoods. Almond milk gives you some needed protein (occasionally I do add some extra protein powder to this smoothie if I need a boost after a workout). Flaxseeds are a great source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids. Bananas are loaded with potassium and vitamins. Strawberries are fully of vitamin C, and coconut oil is a wonderful source of medium chain fatty acids which can actually help to boost your metabolism. All of these ingredients are fabulous for you!

Yum Mommy!

Little Bug loves his Green Monster Smoothies. The recipe above will make just enough for momma and little one. He will sit on my lap and drink his entire glass in no time (be warned – when giving this to little ones, you may end up with some green splotches on your walls, tables, floors – but most of it will end up in their tummies – haha). He turned to me while drinking this one and said “Yum Mommy” – that’s a big win in my book. Getting greens into kids is super important, and while I’m lucky that Little Bug has a great appetite and does love his veggies (“Broccoli” was one of his first words – go figure), some days he just doesn’t get as much as I’d like. So this smoothie is a great source of green goodness for him too.

What are you favorite ways to get greens into your diet? Do you have any favorite smoothies?

For example, being afraid the plane will crash, a tornado will strike, or our loved ones won’t arrive safely.
Don’t take too long, as you will travel to an intermediate room and then back to the lobby.